Monster Bug Wars

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Documentary

title: "Monster Bug Wars" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2011-american-television-series-debuts", "2012-american-television-series-endings", "2010s-american-documentary-television-series", "television-series-about-insects", "television-series-by-beyond-television-productions", "television-shows-about-death-games", "science-channel-original-programming"] description: "Documentary" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Bug_Wars" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Documentary ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

FieldValue
imageMonster Bug Wars poster.jpg
genreDocumentary
narrated{{Plainlist
country{{Plainlist
languageEnglish
num_seasons2
num_episodes12 (+2)
runtime{{Plainlist
networkScience Channel
first_aired
last_aired
::

| image = Monster Bug Wars poster.jpg | image_upright = | image_alt = | caption = | genre = Documentary | narrated = {{Plainlist|

  • Henry Strozier
  • Paul Willis (Australia) | opentheme = | endtheme = | composer = | country = {{Plainlist|
  • Australia
  • United States | language = English | num_seasons = 2 | num_episodes = 12 (+2) | list_episodes = | executive_producer = | producer = | runtime = {{Plainlist|
  • 44 minutes
  • 48 minutes (Australia) | network = Science Channel | first_aired = | last_aired = Monster Bug Wars is a nature documentary program, created and distributed by Beyond Television Productions, and televised on the Science Channel in the United States, and SBS in Australia. The monster movie format features two kinds of insects, arachnids, myriapods, and other invertebrates in gladiator style combat in a simulated natural environment. In intermittent breaks, entomologists educate the viewer about the strengths and weaknesses of the dueling arthropods.

The opening narration is "In nature's fight pit, a host of ruthless bugs as bizarre as they are lethal slug it out in real-life battles to the death. Witness epic encounters between swarms of marauding assassins, and vicious one-on-one clashes where only one bug survives. The world of monster bugs is a jungle, where there's just one law: eat or be eaten."

Premise

The program highlights The Law of the Jungle involving two arthropods of different species, both usually being carnivorous. They are shown fighting to the death with the victor devouring the victim in graphic detail. The program is noted for its use of dramatic theme music and unusual sound editing—during combat, the sounds of growling, screaming, war cries, and shrieks of agony, to name but a few, are heard. In addition, other military and ringside sound effects such as bells, bugles, whistles and alarms are occasionally added. Of course, none of these sounds are natural and are only added to enhance the dramatic effect. However, some viewers have stated these sound effects are silly and do nothing but make a good documentary program into something rather comical. It has been noted that season two has much less sound effects than season one. Despite the odd sound effects, the invertebrate specialists managing the animals for the series took great care to ensure all the interactions were those between species that naturally interact and prey upon one another in the wild. This was the result of hundreds of hours of field observation and years of experience with the various species. Like the vast majority of macro productions, this was filmed in a studio situation to allow for controlled lighting and camera operation. It utilized large natural sets which enabled the animals to behave as they would in nature. Between shots of the fight, the two entomologist hosts of the program narrate the action. Dr. Linda Rayor of Cornell University and Associate Professor Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry of University of Queensland describe each arthropod's abilities that give it an advantage over the other. The entomologists often try to predict the winner of the two. The program is narrated by Henry Strozier.

In Australia, the program began airing on SBS on November 14, 2012. It features re-voiced narration by Dr. Paul Willis of RIAUS, as well as a longer running time due to additional narrated footage. Eden began airing the series on February 29, 2016 in the United Kingdom.

Production

The series premiered in 2009. The first season started in 2011 and had a run of six episodes. The series was renewed for 2012 with another six episodes produced.

Episodes

Series overview

| color0S = #B30713 | link0S = #Pilot (2009) | linkT0S = Pilot | start0S =

| color1 = #ffcc66 | link1 = #Season 1 (2011) | episodes1 = 6 | start1 = | end1 =

| color2 = #ff69b4 | link2 = #Season 2 (2012) | episodes2 = 6 | start2 = | end2 =

| color2S = #11AE11 | link2S = #Special (2012) | linkT2S = Special | start2S =

In the following episode listings, winners are in bold.

Pilot (2009)

|background = #B30713 |overall = 5 |title = 76 |airdate = 13 |forceoverall= y |episodes = |EpisodeNumber = 1 |Title = Pilot |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:

  1. – King cricket vs. Centipede
  2. – Saint Andrew Cross Spider vs. Portia spider
  3. – Desert scorpion vs. Wolf spider
  4. – Redback Spider vs. Huntsman spider
  5. – Tiger beetle vs. Raspy cricket
  6. – Giant rainforest mantis vs. Spiky katydid
  7. – Bull ant vs. Black ant |LineColor =B30713

Season 1 (2011)

|background = #ffcc66 |overall = 5 |season = 6 |title = 76 |airdate = 13 |episodes = |EpisodeNumber = 2 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = Death at Midnight |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:

  1. – Giant rainforest mantis vs. Spiny leaf insect
  2. – Bull ant vs. Redback spider
  3. – Water spider vs. Water strider
  4. – White-tailed spider vs. Black house spider
  5. – Sydney funnel-web spider vs. Garden wolf spider |LineColor = ffcc66 |EpisodeNumber = 3 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = Enemy Empire |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  6. – Tree scorpion vs. Green ants
  7. – Cellar spider vs. White-tailed spider
  8. – Trap-jaw ant vs. Antlion
  9. – Brown house spider vs. Redback spider
  10. – Desert centipede vs. Desert trapdoor spider |LineColor = ffcc66 |EpisodeNumber = 4 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = Quick and the Deadly |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  11. – Ogre-faced spider vs. Assassin bug
  12. – Bulldog raspy cricket vs. Whistling tarantula
  13. – House centipede vs. Swift tree mantis
  14. – Marbled scorpion vs. Trap-jaw ants
  15. – Metallic green jumping spider vs. Spitting spider |LineColor = ffcc66 |EpisodeNumber = 5 |EpisodeNumber2 = 4 |Title = Shape-Shifters |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  16. – Lichen huntsman spider vs. Grey tree runner mantis
  17. – Tent spider vs. Destructive katydid
  18. – Rhinoceros beetle vs. Meat ants
  19. – Green jumping spider vs. Long-jawed jumping spider
  20. – Giant banded huntsman spider vs. Jungle huntsman spider |LineColor = ffcc66 |EpisodeNumber = 6 |EpisodeNumber2 = 5 |Title = When Tribes Go To War |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  21. – Green ants vs. Paper wasps
  22. – Portia spider vs. Long-jawed orb weaver
  23. – Balloon-winged katydid vs. Tree centipede
  24. – Badge huntsman spider vs. Spider hunting scorpion
  25. – Tiger leech vs. Freshwater crab |LineColor = ffcc66 |EpisodeNumber = 7 |EpisodeNumber2 = 6 |Title = Rainforest Rampage |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  26. – Jumping jack ant vs. Green-bellied huntsman spider
  27. – Green praying mantis vs. Predatory katydid
  28. – Spiny tree cricket vs. Golden orb-weaver
  29. – Desert centipede vs. Desert scorpion
  30. – Bee killer assassin bug vs. Earwig |LineColor = ffcc66

Season 2 (2012)

|background = #ff69b4 |overall = 5 |season = 6 |title = 76 |airdate = 13 |episodes = |EpisodeNumber = 8 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = Deadly Duels |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:

  1. – Jungle tiger beetle vs. Moss mantis
  2. – Horned katydid vs. Owl butterfly (caterpillar)
  3. – Ogre-faced spider vs. Army ant (Soldier)
  4. – Red-thighed wandering spider vs. Black-tailed Scorpion
  5. – Longicorn beetle vs. Flame bellied orb-weaver |LineColor = ff69b4 |EpisodeNumber = 9 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = Blood on the Forest Floor |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  6. – Hooded mantis vs. Brazilian wandering spider
  7. – Rainforest land crab vs. Army ant
  8. – Harvestman vs. Velvetworm
  9. – Black jungle stalker vs. Black faced katydid
  10. – Amblypygid vs. Red forest scorpion |LineColor = ff69b4 |EpisodeNumber = 10 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = Ultra Violence |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  11. – Giant cockroach vs. Mexican red-rump tarantula
  12. – Stripe-tailed centipede vs. Vinegaroon
  13. – Banana spider vs. Orange horned katydid
  14. – Golden carpenter ant vs. Flag-tailed assassin bug
  15. – Slender necked mantis vs. Bronzed huntsman spider |LineColor = ff69b4 |EpisodeNumber = 11 |EpisodeNumber2 = 4 |Title = Mother of All Wars |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  16. – Black-tailed scorpion (baby) vs. Pirate spider
  17. – Lichen bark mantis vs. Rock spider
  18. – Bug-eyed katydid vs. Candy-cane katydid
  19. – Rufus comb-footed spider vs. Spitting spider
  20. – Tiger assassin bug vs. Silverback cross spider |LineColor = ff69b4 |EpisodeNumber = 12 |EpisodeNumber2 = 5 |Title = Murderous Intent |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  21. – Speckled house spider vs. Leafcutter ant (soldier)
  22. – Tiger jumping spider vs. Yellow jumping spider
  23. – Geophilid centipede vs. Costa Rican cellar spider
  24. – Orange-mouthed tarantula vs. Red Mouth Conehead katydid
  25. – Dinosaur ants vs. Trap-jaw ants |LineColor = ff69b4 |EpisodeNumber = 13 |EpisodeNumber2 = 6 |Title = Super Slayers |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds:
  26. – Leaf-tailed mantis vs. Sunburst raspy cricket
  27. – Spiny orb-weaver vs. Crab spider
  28. – Water bug vs. Mudeye
  29. – Domino beetle vs. Crimson-legged assassin bug
  30. – Mangrove tree crab vs. Leopard spider |LineColor = ff69b4

Special (2012)

Monster Bug Wars Top 10 is a second season compilation episode released in July 2012. This episode included 10 already released bug fights that have been shortened. The following battles are listed below:

|background = #11AE11 |overall = 5 |title = 76 |airdate = 13 |forceoverall= y |episodes = |EpisodeNumber = 14 |Title = Monster Bug Wars Top 10 |OriginalAirDate = |ShortSummary = Rounds: :10. – Slender necked mantis vs. Bronzed huntsman spider :9. – Tiger beetle vs. Raspy cricket :8. – Green ant vs. Paper wasp :7. – Tiger leeches vs.Freshwater crab :6. – Trap-jaw ant vs. Antlion :5. – Assassin bug vs. Ogre-faced spider :4. – Desert centipede vs. Desert trapdoor spider :3. – Giant rainforest mantis vs. Spiny leaf insect :2. – Green jumping spider vs. Long-jawed jumping spider :1. – Tree scorpion vs. Green ant |LineColor = 11AE11

References

References

  1. "Corporate Information". Beyond.
  2. [https://archive.today/20120707065522/http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3271991318/m/83019612801 community.discovery.com]
  3. (December 10, 2013). "Monster Bug Wars | Discovery Science". Science.discovery.com.
  4. "Monster Bug Wars : Programs : Science Channel : Discovery Press Web". Press.discovery.com.
  5. "On Telly - Royal Institution of AustraliaRiAus - Australia's Science Channel | Bringing science to people and people to science". Riaus.org.au.
  6. (October 7, 2009). "Monster Bug Wars!".
  7. (March 29, 2011). "Monster Bug Wars!".
  8. (February 1, 2016). "Local listings, news, recaps, photos, clips and more – MSN TV". Tv.msn.com.

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2011-american-television-series-debuts2012-american-television-series-endings2010s-american-documentary-television-seriestelevision-series-about-insectstelevision-series-by-beyond-television-productionstelevision-shows-about-death-gamesscience-channel-original-programming